by Jayne Blue
“I don’t want you to. I mean. I’m so tired. But I think I need you next to me.”
All the alarm bells and reservations inside me from earlier had quieted. I was just too damn tired to put up a fight against the thing that felt so good. Kellan kissed the top of my head.
“I can do that. Whatever you need, Mallory. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Don’t you have to check in with the club or something?”
Kellan shrugged. “I already did. Tate and E.J. have everything under control. We’re closed today anyway. There’s nothing I need to do except be right here.”
I put my hands into the back pockets of my jeans and took a step back. Sunlight speared through the window making Kellan’s green eyes gleam like emeralds. He leaned in the door frame, his expression solemn but full of an emotion that scared me more than a little. He didn’t take his eyes from mine. He’d seen the worst of me. And yet, there he stood, filling my doorway, large and strong as a mountain. He filled my heart too. It fluttered behind my rib cage as Kellan pushed himself off from the wall and took a slow step toward me.
He moved past me and sat down on the edge of the bed. He peeled off his jeans, his boots, his shirt, everything. Then he turned and patted the bed, motioning me to join him.
“Come on, you need sleep. At least for a few hours.”
I took a halting step toward the bed, then another. Then I peeled off my own clothes and crawled into his waiting arms. He surrounded me with warmth and his steady pulse beat against my shoulder where he held me close to his chest. He held me like that until I fell asleep, safe, warm, protected. I couldn’t remember the last time anyone had made me feel that way. I think it was never.
We slept until nearly noon. I woke to Kellan’s deep voice talking on the phone in the kitchen. I sat up, wiping the sleep out of my eyes.
“I’ll tell her,” he said. “And tell Mitch he can have that ride any time he wants. We’d love to have him at the gym too.”
Mitch. Shit. I’d nearly forgotten. He had to be out of his mind wondering what the hell was going on with Dad. I threw the sheets off and headed for the hallway. Kellan met me coming the other way and we nearly collided.
“Whoa, slow down. It’s all good.”
“Was that Justin? What did he say about Mitch?”
“It’s okay. He’s going to bring Mitch back here in about an hour. I’ll take you both down to the hospital.”
“No. It’s okay. I’ll handle it.”
“You don’t have a vehicle.”
“Yes I do. The Bug’s running.”
Kellan raised a dubious brow. “It was up on blocks the last time I saw that hunk of junk.”
I shook my head. “It’s fine. My dad’s a lot of things but he’s the best mechanic I know. I promise. And I need to go out there just with Mitch. Do you understand?”
Kellan let out a breath and looked toward the ceiling, but then he nodded. “Yeah. I do. I get it. But later, how about the two of you head out to the Den. We’re closed tonight but the guys usually come together and make a big family dinner. I’d like it if you and Mitch came.”
“Family dinner? Sounds kind of private.”
Kellan smiled and took a step toward me. We’d both been so exhausted when we got here this morning, but now, with nothing on but my underwear and a thin t-shirt, the warmth of Kellan’s skin stirred me. It stirred him too. He stood before me in nothing but a pair of boxer briefs. I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of looking at the perfect beauty of his body. Those hard muscles, lean hips, solid thighs with vibrant ink swirling down until the jagged scars cut through the muscle. I’d gotten to know every inch of him and never tired of exploring.
“I need you,” I whispered. This time, he knew I meant something different than this morning. The rise below his waistband told me he needed exactly the same.
I pulled my t-shirt above my head and let my breasts spring free. Kellan’s eyes flashed and he leaned against the wall, watching me. I took a step forward and put my hands flat against his chiseled chest. Gooseflesh rose beneath my fingertips. I trailed my fingers across his nipples, watching those rise too. Then I smoothed my hands down across his marbled abs and hooked my thumb beneath the waistband of his boxer briefs.
“Mallory.” His voice was low and husky. I smiled, looking up at him.
“Let me,” I whispered. “I need to feel you. And see you.”
Kellan pushed himself off the wall and gathered my hands in his. He walked to the bed and sat slowly down on the edge of it. He reached down and slid off his prosthesis then leaned back.
“And I need to watch you,” he whispered.
I knew what he meant. Heat flashed through me, making my heart race and a new, urgent pulse beat between my legs. With just that tone of voice, he already had me damp.
“When did you say Justin was coming back with Mitch?”
Kellan’s beautiful face spread into a slow smile that made my heart race even faster. “An hour.”
“Then I’d better get busy,” I said as I sank to my knees between his legs. He pushed himself up so I could slide his boxers past his hips. His engorged cock sprang free and I couldn’t help licking my lips in anticipation.
“Mallory.” He hooked a finger under my chin, forcing my head up so I had to meet his eyes.
“Shh. I need to concentrate.”
“Mallory.”
“What?”
Kellan smiled at me. That smolder in his eyes made me shudder so that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to properly concentrate.
“I love you.”
I froze. Afraid to move, afraid to breathe, I knelt before him. My hands started to shake where they rested on his thighs. I sat back on my heels and looked at him. Really looked at him.
Kellan held nothing back. He sat on the bed naked in both body and soul. He wasn’t afraid. My eyes went to the cruel scars he bore, the longest one cutting through him like a lightning bolt until it disappeared just below his right knee where his leg was gone. And in that too he was unafraid. Didn’t cover. Didn’t shy away from what he was or the things that had happened to him. He was here, in front of me, exposed and telling me he loved me.
I blinked hard, my eyes wet with tears. Kellan was brave and I was the coward. He’d seen my scars too. The broken parts of my life and still, he was here, right in front of me.
For once, it was my turn to be brave.
“I love you too.” Blood thundered in my ears as I went still before him.
“I know,” he said, still smiling.
Then I couldn’t stand not touching him for another second. I leaned forward and took him, wrapping my fingers around the solid base of his shaft. Kellan twitched in my hand and I looked up to meet his eyes once more. Then I took him into my mouth and sucked him to the root.
Kellan’s eyes rolled back in his head and he fisted the bed sheets. He was hot and hard. With each stroke of my tongue he grew even harder. The effect on me grew more obvious too. My sex throbbed, hungry for him. I wanted all of him. Every bit. Every drop. I wanted him to fill me and lay waste to me all at once.
I stroked and sucked, the sounds of my hunger filling the room. Kellan hissed through his teeth and I felt him seize up. He put a hand on my head to slow me. Too much. Too fast. We had to be quick, but Kellan wanted to savor what we could. So did I. But once I’d set a rhythm with my lips and tongue, once I felt that fullness in his balls and the thickening of his dick, I couldn’t hold back. I never wanted to hold back with him ever again.
“Mallory.” His voice was choked with lust and emotion. He pounded his fist against the bed. From the edge of my vision, I saw him throw his head back. Then he couldn’t even sit upright. He fell back on the bed. I adjusted my weight, following him down but keeping his cock deep in my throat. I had no plans to show him mercy. I was in control now. I knew the moment he emptied himself into me, he’d own me all over again. My panties were soaked from the thought of it. I wanted it. All of it. All of him. Over and
over.
Still, Kellan tried to hold back. I wouldn’t have it. I slid my hand beneath his balls and stroked him. He groaned. His grip grew tighter on the top of my head. He pushed me down and pulled me up, helping me set the pace he needed to get there. I worked my mouth hard to keep up with him. Kellan lay spread eagle on the edge of the bed with me on my knees between his thighs. I felt him hitch in my mouth and I braced myself for his sweet release.
He cried my name as he came inside me, filling me so much I nearly choked. I didn’t though. I took all of him, just like I wanted. Just like he wanted. My poor, hungry sex throbbed. I knew all he’d have to do was touch me once to send me spinning toward my own release.
As Kellan shuddered out the last of his orgasm, I swallowed hard to contain it. Finally, he put his hands on my shoulders and gently guided me off him. He pulled me up until I straddled him on the bed. He was still rock hard and waiting for me. My eyes widened as I lowered myself. Kellan nodded as I slid down and he filled me yet again, stretching me. My walls quivered around him. Kellan kept me steady with his hands on my hips. Then he let me set the pace.
I started slow at first, gyrating my hips and throwing my head back. I wanted to savor the feel of him. He was hard and deep, filling me as far as I could take him. I spread my legs wide as I straddled him. There was nothing between us. Nothing. I parted my thighs as wide as they would go. Kellan reached up and grasped my nipples between his fingers. Not hard, but it was another type of claiming that sent heat spearing through me and made my juices flow.
“Yes,” I cried out. I needed him touching me in every way he could. I couldn’t hold back another second. My movements became wild, erratic as I bobbed up and down on him. Kellan leaned up and ran his tongue along the sensitive bud of my nipple, sending shock waves through me that nearly unseated me. But he kept that steadying hand on me, this time gripping my ass.
“Fuck me,” he whispered. His teeth grazed my nipple to just the point of pain, but not quite. I almost couldn’t contain the sensations. His hot, turgid cock filled deep inside me, the rough pad of his thumb as he ran it along my other nipple, his fingers digging into my ass, drawing me down even deeper.
“Let go,” he said. “I want to watch you come. I want to feel it.”
“Yes!” I fucked him with abandon. He’d bared his soul to me, I wanted to do the same. I would do anything with him. We were just beginning. Something happened at that moment that I knew would change things between us, maybe forever. He awakened dark desires in me I didn’t know I had. And for the first time ever, I trusted someone enough to take the journey with me.
“Let go,” he said. And I did. My orgasm came hard and strong, sending waves of pleasure from between my legs to the roots of my hair and the tips of my toes. I arched my back, bringing my breasts closer to his waiting lips. Kellan kissed me there as if he knew anything else might be more than I could handle.
I came around him, soaking us both. The slick sounds of my movements filled the room. Then, when the last shock waves spread through me, I seemed to lose all strength. But Kellan was there. With strong, sure hands, he guided me down, setting me gently on the bed beside him. He feathered soft kisses across my forehead and smoothed my hair back.
“God, you’re beautiful like this,” he said. “I love to watch you. I plan to do a hell of a lot more of it. That okay with you?”
I reached up and threaded my fingers through his hair, pulling him down to kiss me. “That’s more than okay with me.”
He smoothed the hair back away from my face which had grown sticky with sweat.
“You know I don’t want to, but I think I’d better take off. I’m guessing you don’t want me to still be here when Justin and Mitch get here.”
I sat up and groaned the instant I did it. I was going to be sore in places I didn’t know I had in a few hours.
“Yeah. Back to reality.”
Kellan pulled me back, his eyes serious, his grip firm. “Mallory. This is reality. You get that right?” He waved his hand in the space between us.
“I know,” I said. When he didn’t move, I said it again. “I know. Kellan. I’m not pulling away. Or at least, I swear I’ll try not to. It’s just not something I’m used to. You know. Having someone else to lean on. That’s always been a pretty risky proposition for me.”
He smiled. “You think it isn’t for me? For anyone? You don’t have the market cornered on self-defense. But because Mitch is just a kid and his dad just about died last night, I kind of want to ease into this where he’s concerned.”
I scooted off the bed and hunted for my t-shirt. It was hopeless.
“I need to get a shower before they get here.”
Kellan’s sultry laugh washed over me smooth as silk. God, it was so hard to think straight with him stretched out on the bed like that.
“Yeah. You do. I’ll show myself out. But then you’re going to call me later. Come to dinner. Unless you want me to send the cavalry in to drag you out of the house.”
“Hmm. I’ve seen your cavalry. Very impressive.”
“Yep.”
I put my hands up in surrender. “Okay. Okay. I promise. I won’t dodge you.”
Kellan pointed his finger and tapped me on the forehead. Then he got up, put himself back together and muscled his jeans on. He had an easier time finding the remnants of his wardrobe than I did. He gave me a playful swat on my bare ass as he threw his cut over his shoulder.
“I’ll see you tonight. Dinner. The Den. Not taking no for an answer. You need to eat. Mitch needs to get to know me.”
I gave Kellan a salute that made him cringe. “That’s pathetic. If this were basic I’d make you drop and give me fifty.” He walked toward me and gripped my elbows, drawing me to him. I went up on my tiptoes to kiss him. My nipples brushed against his leather jacket, sending a new wave of desire straight through me.
“Mmm. What else would you make me do?”
Kellan bit his bottom lip and looked toward the ceiling. “If I don’t take off now, I’m never leaving.”
I kissed him again. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“That a promise?”
I nodded. “It’s a promise. I do want Mitch to get to know you too.” I hesitated before I finished my next thought. Mitch needed more positive male role models in his life. Especially now. But I wasn’t going to pretend what was happening with Kellan and I wasn’t brand new. Dinner tonight was good. But after that, I needed to take it slow.
Kellan smoothed my hair back and tucked it behind my ears. “You let me know if you need anything today. I can be here or send one of the guys in just a few minutes.”
“We’ll be fine. But thank you.”
After one more kiss, Kellan finally left. I hugged my arms to my chest and pressed my temple against the door frame. I listened as the front door shut then I heard the sound of Kellan’s Jeep as he drove away.
I had maybe fifteen minutes before Justin and Mitch got back. I blew a hair away from my face and headed for the shower. I ran it hot, letting the water sluice away the last twenty-four hours. A day ago, my mind and heart were filled with dread. Worry for my father. Worry over my feelings for Kellan and what they meant. Now though, I felt relief. Renewed purpose. It was a dangerous feeling, I knew, but one I welcomed. It could be okay. Maybe it was time for me to take a chance on my own happiness for a change. And I found my heart aching a little too. Kellan had only been gone a few minutes and already I missed him. My heart fluttered at the newness of the feeling. It was one I’d never really let myself indulge in.
I stepped out of the shower, toweled off and threw on a fresh pair of jeans and a vee-necked t-shirt. As soon as Mitch got here, he’d want to head straight to the hospital so I didn’t even really have time to dry my hair. Instead, I wound it into a top knot and headed out for the kitchen. Good sex made me famished. I only wished Kellan could have stayed. I fantasized about cooking him breakfast for lunch.
I reached in the fridge for some OJ when some
one knocked on the door. “What the hell, Jus?” He must have forgotten his key.
With the juice carton still in my hand I headed for the front door. I saw a familiar leather-jacketed arm through the sheer curtain in the bay window. My heart started to pound in my chest again. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. It was crazy. Mitch was going to be back any second, but dammit if I didn’t feel straight-up joy when I opened that door.
When I did open it, the world fell away. It took a second for my brain to catch up with my eyes. He was tall. Dark. With fierce eyes and a wide, flat nose that looked like every bone had been shattered through the bridge. He wore a black leather cut, just like Kellan’s. Except it wasn’t Kellan’s. His patch read Devil’s Hawks, with a red-eyed bird of prey sewn just beneath it.
I gripped the doorknob and for a split second, some crazy part of my brain thought the screen door might stop him. It didn’t though. Of course it didn’t. I tried to slam the storm door in his face but I wasn’t quick enough. For the rest of my life, I’d have nightmares about never being quick enough.
He burst through the screen door and grabbed my arm as I screamed. Then he reached around and stuffed something into my mouth. I struggled, clawing, trying to scream again. But my head filled with haze and my limbs went numb. The last thing I remember were his dirty leather boots and spilled orange juice as my legs gave out and I hit the floor.
Chapter Twenty Five
Kellan
I tasted Mallory’s lips on mine as I rode back to the Den. I felt the curve of her hips beneath my fingers and the slick warmth of her as she straddled me. My balls clenched at the memory and it was all I could do to focus on anything else as I pulled into the parking lot. It was just after five o’clock; she’d call me soon and I’d have her back in my arms by nightfall. It felt too damn long.
Brax came out the back door as I parked my bike and hooked my helmet on the handlebars. He looked grim with bags under his eyes like he hadn’t slept in days. He probably hadn’t.
“Hey,” he said. “I was just about to ride over and get you.”
